The Sorceress of Othelias
by Ketchupthepony
Summary: When Kuno accidentally frees a goddess who was sealed away in a strange sword, the world is turned into a strange and mystical kingdom. Now it's up to Ranma, one of the few who remembers life before the change, to get back home. [pairings not yet decided]
1. Chapter 1: The Sword in the Bones

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½. Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. This story is written for amusement and is completely nonprofit.

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Chapter 1: The Sword in the Bones

As Akane walked home alone from school that day, she was fuming. She had had so much trouble today and needed someone to talk to, and Ranma was off in the middle of some fight with Ryouga. With all that had happened today she wasn't going to sit and wait for them to finish their pointless scuffling!

"Akane Tendo! Defeat me and I shall allow you the honor of--" Tatewaki Kuno seized his chance. Ranma wasn't there! He began his usual monologue, rushing forward with his wooden bokken, but was silenced when the girl in question silenced his speech with a single powerful kick to the face.

"Kuno, I don't want to kill you, but so help me, if you don't get away from me now, I will," said Akane through clenched teeth with murder in her voice. Normally she wouldn't have dignified the painfully stupid upperclassman's advance with a response and would have just kept walking to spare him, but this time was different.

This time Kuno had picked to come on to Akane Tendo when she was having a BAD day.

Kuno, however, apparently too stupid to see the change in her behavior, picked himself up from the ground.

"Ah, Akane! Your love for me has created so deep a fire in you that you are willing to kill to obtain it…" he said, holding his bokken out triumphantly. At this Akane stepped forward and in the blink of an eye brought her knee up and snapped the wooden sword in half. Kuno grinned. "So you have accepted my challenge?" he said. Kuno's world immediately went black as Akane punched him in the face with more force than any attack he had ever felt.

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When Kuno woke up it was to discover that it was nighttime. He managed to pull himself up and stared at the broken wooden bokken on the ground. He snorted. Well, he could just take another one from the supply closet. No one was going to say anything if another one mysteriously went missing. After all, he was Tatewaki Kuno. He could afford to buy people off if they tried anything. Kuno laughed in triumph. Akane had defeated him! That meant she would go on a date with him. Kuno stood to his full height and with an air that screamed "I'm rich and you're not", he began to walk home, a narcissistic spring in his step.

It took Kuno about an hour of walking in the wrong direction to realize that perhaps he had taken a wrong turn.

As he looked around him, nothing seemed familiar. The houses had begun to turn decrepit and old as though nobody had lived in them for generations and, as he progressed, had all but vanished. The air tasted of death and despair, and Kuno began to feel a strange feeling well up inside of him…

He shook his head vigorously, pulling himself back together. Ha! It wasn't anything that he, Tatewaki Kuno, couldn't deal with. If anything jumped out at him he would fell it with a single blow.

It was at that moment that Kuno heard an unsettling sound that made him rethink his confidence.

"Intruder…turn back…you do not know what awaits you…" came a strange voice. Kuno looked around. What was speaking? He didn't see anyone nearby. Kuno felt something he hadn't felt in a long time, mainly due to his irrational sense of bravado—fear. Sure, he was an undeniably good swordsman, but a good swordsman without a sword is about as good as a good chef with no food to prepare. He turned his head around frantically, and there, as if answering his plea, was the skeleton of a human body with a sword lodged in its ribcage. Most people would have been frozen with terror at seeing this dead body, but Kuno's natural tendency to see only what he wanted to see sort of eliminated the skeleton from his mind as he raced forward and plucked the sword from the body. Kuno looked down at the sword, which was now glowing a green light. It was not made in traditional Chinese or Japanese style; rather, it looked as though it was European-made. The hilt, made of what felt like silver, had one gleaming sapphire at the bottom of it. The cross was made of gold, and the blade looked as though it was made of steel, though even Kuno, after seeing what he saw next, could deduce that it was no normal sword.

"My gratitude is endless, young one…" said a different voice than the one he had heard before. Kuno whirled round on his heel and saw a tall and beautiful woman hovering just above the ground. Her hair was completely white and she was wearing a long white robe. In fact, her entire appearance was incredibly pale, almost to the point of being transparent. Kuno blinked at her, his mouth wide open. She was gorgeous.

'What a dazzling vision of loveliness…' he said to himself. The woman gave a strange laugh in response to this as though she had read his thoughts, a wicked laugh that echoed in a way that made it so even Kuno, the most unobservant man in the world, was able to come out of the trance of his first impression.

"Allow me to explain my situation, Tatewaki Kuno…my name is known among mortals as Vennia. I was once a goddess until evildoers sealed me away in the very sword you hold in your hand…you are the first that has been brave enough to move past the charms of the sword, and by removing it from the skeleton in the ground you have freed me, and I am prepared to make your wildest dreams come true…" she said, her pale lavender eyes glinting eerily.

"H-how do you know my name?" stuttered Kuno, feeling genuine fear once again. Something about this woman was unearthly, unsettling…and it scared him. Kuno winced as she laughed her terrible cruel laugh once again.

"I know all, Tatewaki Kuno…I know all. I have searched your soul and see what lies inside…the wish for power, and…perhaps…desire for the woman you love?"

Kuno's wariness immediately left him as he heard these words. "The woman I love? Power?" he said, mainly to himself. His thoughts were interrupted as Vennia cackled once again.

"You know deep down in your very soul that you cannot have her, and yet you do not wish to accept it, and so you fight it. You constantly give birth to ridiculous schemes to obtain her and fool yourself into believing that she loves you back…but she does not. But what you wish for, Kuno….I can grant you that, young one, I can grant you that…Are you willing to carry the burden of power on your shoulders without fear?" she said, her eyes glinting once again. However, this time their gaze seemed endless. Kuno stared into them…he could have stared for hours and hours, it seemed, they were so…hypnotic…at the mention of the word 'hypnotic' in his brain, Kuno shook his head vigorously and stepped back, readying himself with the sword.

"Aaah! Foul sorceress! You are trying to tempt me! For what reason I am unsure but--" he began, closing his eyes to avoid watching the terrible purple eyes, and yet even in his mind they were still there.

"You are inches away from owning everything in the world, Tatewaki Kuno…all you have to do is tell me you that you desire it and it is yours," she said. Kuno tried as hard as he could, but he could not control it.

"I do desire it," he found himself saying. Vennia smiled, her eyes glinting once again.

"Then so be it," she said, raising her hand.

And with that the world began to change.

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That's all I have so far, but more to come. I may edit this chapter later to be a little…well…better. Anyway, stay tuned for Chapter 2 (ought to come sometime tomorrow) in which it'll get better and less choppy and rushed, I promise. Anyway, yeah. There's Chapter 1. Hope you enjoyed, even considering the apparent mediocrity of its current state.


	2. Chapter 2: Awakening

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½. Ranma ½, as well as all Ranma characters, belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. This story is written for amusement and is completely nonprofit.

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Chapter 2: Awakening

From the moment Ranma Saotome opened his eyes he sensed an incredibly great power. He did not stir or move at all. Apart from the air entering and leaving his lungs, the blood pumping through his veins, and his eyes quickly darting around, surveying his surroundings (which were most definitely NOT the guestroom of the Tendo household, where he had remembered falling asleep), he was not moving a single muscle.

His vision was limited; he did not move his head along with his eyes as he lay flat on his back. Most of the time he found himself staring at the blue and sunny sky, framed by the numerous treetops, on which the leaves were still primarily green but beginning to turn red and yellow, promising signs of autumn.

He couldn't help raising an eyebrow at that. That was odd. It was the middle of May. It couldn't be autumn.

He mentally shrugged that off. No point in worrying about it now. He had to figure out where he was. He didn't move; his sixth sense for impending danger that he had developed over the travels with his father was making his heart beat very rapidly. He tried to make a few inferences from where he was. He listened carefully. He could hear several birds singing, as well as some other animal sounds he was less familiar with, but could guess as to what they were (squirrels, chipmunks, and such). He heard the knocking of a woodpecker in the distance. As he felt the dirt, grass, and roots, beneath him, he finally passed a judgment.

_I'm in a forest._ At first it sounded somewhat silly, but the more he thought about it the more it seemed it had to be true. Now how the hell he had ended up in a forest was the strange part.

_Crack!_

Ranma's heart sped up as he heard a twig snap. He closed his eyes and remained completely still. He had heard footsteps. He listened as closely as he could, hoping he wasn't doing anything to betray his illusion of sleep. The footsteps were definitely human, but there was a strange quality to them, as if they were wearing metal boots. The footsteps were drawing nearer and nearer. When the footsteps abruptly stopped he heard two voices, one of which he hadn't heard before but one that seemed oddly familiar.

"There he is!" said the first voice, the one he didn't recognize. The voice was coarse and rough.

"Yes, that is him all right," said the second voice, a calmer, kinder, voice, one that Ranma could have sworn he had heard before.

"…"

"…"

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get him!" said the first voice brusquely.

"Wait, me? You must be joking…I'm a medic. I'm not going to fight. I'm simply here to aid you if you are injured," said the second in a tone that sounded almost cheerful.

"Don't give me that bull. They told me you were a master of martial arts,"

"Yes, and tackling this young man while he's asleep goes against completely against the code of honor learned through my training," replied the second voice, the tone becoming somewhat more indignant. Whoever this second guy was, Ranma was starting to like him.

"Honor?! Like he wouldn't do the same to us! No, if you had any notion of honor he would already be dead. Just kill him," ordered the first voice.

"If you are so determined to cause needless bloodshed then why don't you kill him yourself?" said the second voice.

"…I will then. Get out of my sight, Ono," said the first voice darkly.

"…Very well then," replied Ono calmly. 'Ono'…Ranma frowned mentally. Where had he heard that name before? He heard Ono walk off back into the foliage, and that was when Ranma realized that about 90 of the noise made by the footsteps earlier had come from the feet of the first voice. Ono's tread was very light and, he had to admit, stealthy. Ranma remained completely motionless as the heavier man's footsteps drew closer to him. He heard metal being dragged against something. Now he knew he was in danger. That sounded like a sword being drawn from its sheath. Ranma knew what he had to do.

_1…_

_2…_

_3!_

Ranma leapt up and out of the way just as the man stabbed his sword down into the ground where the pigtailed boy had just been. Ranma readied himself into a fighting stance and took a look at the man with the sword. It was a knight of some sort. He was rather heavyset and was wearing a green jerkin that was too small for him, as well as some greasy white pants and a pair of metal greaves. He had long black hair that framed his face unattractively, in a manner rather akin to a box. Ranma dug through his mind and confirmed that he had never seen the man before. In the foliage the man Ono watched, his face covered by a large black hat with a white feather in it. He wore a chainmail breastplate and brown leather pants, along with a dark green traveling cloak, and in his belt was a thin rapier. Ranma turned his attention back to the heavier man with the sword. The man rushed forward and swung the sword through the air, the sound of the metal reverberating through the air. Ranma easily dodged the slow attack and circled behind him in seconds, planting a kick on his back. The man fell over onto his front.

"Who are you?" yelled Ranma. The man pulled himself up and laughed, revealing a few yellowing, crooked teeth.

"Ranma Saotome, I am the man that is going to kill you once and for all! IN THE NAME OF THE KING!" he yelled, charging toward Ranma with the sword once more. Ranma sidestepped the attack, leapt onto the man's back, and with a single deft motion of his hand, broke the man's nose. The man let out a coarse shriek at the dark red blood now flowing freely out of it.

"Who are you and whaddya want with me?!" shouted Ranma. The heavy-set man did not reply to Ranma, but rather, to his partner, who was still standing in the bushes.

"ONO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! DON'T JUST STAND THERE!" He screamed in desperation as Ranma swept his legs out from underneath him. From beneath the shadows of the feathered hat, Ranma could make out a smirk.

"Very well," replied Ono as he stepped forward. Ranma readied himself in a fighting stance as Ono drew the rapier and plucked the 300-pound man up from the ground with ease. Then Ono did something Ranma did not expect.

All in under a second, Ono whipped the man on the back of the head with the flat edge of the rapier, stunning him, then grabbed his head and swiftly cracked his neck, instantly killing him. Ranma stared at Ono. He wasn't used to dealing with dangerous weapons unless he was fighting Mousse, and he thanked and cursed whatever fates had made him not engage in a fight with the Chinese 'magician'—thanked because Mousse was the only one he had fought who had ever really come close to taking his life, and cursed because it left him completely unprepared for this monster of a man that now stood before him. But Ono merely sheathed his rapier and turned away from Ranma, surprising him yet again.

"Well, you told me not to just stand there, so I obliged," he said, kneeling down to speak with his comrade that he had just killed. He then stood up and dusted himself off. "So, Ranma…I think it's time we spoke of your fate." He took off his black hat and Ranma was greeted with a familiar spectacled face framed by brown hair tied back in a low ponytail.

"Dr. Tofu!" said Ranma, now recalling where he remembered the name Ono from. Dr. Tofu Ono...well, it still didn't make any sense, but at least he had made some sort of connection, which was currently good enough for him.

"Afraid not, Ranma…well, not right now, at least. I am merely borrowing Tofu Ono's body as my vessel," said Ono, smiling knowingly. "I am known among mortals as Raijou, and you shall refer to me as such, if you please."

"What? 'Mortals?' 'Vessel?' I'm supposed to think you're some sort of…god or somethin'? Tell me what's goin' on!" demanded Ranma. "Grr…what am I getting all worked up for?! This is just a dream, or…or…a prank, or something," he said, his uncertainness being made apparent from his tone of voice. Raijou smirked at him knowingly, then suddenly did something unexpected yet again. He connected with a straight punch to Ranma's arm. Ranma couldn't help letting out a yell at the sheer strength of the punch. His arm felt as though it were being crushed by 9,000 tons. Not even Ryouga was that strong…hell, not even the old lecher was that strong! Ranma held his arm in pain and glared back, his anger rising.

"I assure you that this is no dream, Ranma, and you are very much causing harm to your real body, so I suggest you calm yourself down," said Raijou calmly. Ranma pulled his hand off his arm hastily. "Furthermore, if this were some sort of cruel joke or 'prank', I would not have killed a man right in front of you. I think if you take a close look at him you will notice that he is in fact quite dead. Ranma, this is reality. And it pains me to say that you are a slight…mishap in the chain of said reality."

"What the hell are you talkin' about?" asked Ranma, glaring threateningly. Raijou sighed.

"Obviously you're confused…very well then, Ranma. This place, this land, this forest you're in…well, let's just say Japan ceased to exist at about seven o' clock last night," he said. Ranma's eyes opened wide.

"Wait, w-what? Japan doesn't exist??" he said, his voice full of incredulity. "But then…how am I still alive? And--" he began, but he couldn't bear to finish the sentence. Were the others all right? If they had died, he…he couldn't think about it. He wouldn't think about it. Raijou's eyes twinkled grimly.

"Relax, Ranma, Japan didn't blow up or anything…ah, I suppose I should explain everything to you now. I am going to have to so sooner or later anyway. So we might as well start from the beginning…all I have right now are memories, but they will serve," he said as he suddenly procured a small vial from within the folds of the dark green traveling cloak and took a gulp from it. He held out the remaining gray liquid to Ranma and smiled.

"I'm supposed to drink that stuff? How do I know you're not some lunatic tryin' to poison me?" aked Ranma, blinking. Raijou smirked knowingly.

"Because I just drank some of it myself."

"So? If you're some sort of God, then you're not gonna--" began Ranma, but was interrupted by Raijou.

"Oho! So deep down you do believe me! That's good, Ranma," said Raijou, winking, "Because I'd really hate to have to force this down your throat. Both my vessel and I are immensely powerful, and it would be much less…how should we put this…painful…for you in the long run to drink it peacefully right now and get it done with."

Ranma grumbled something incoherent and downed the vial quickly.

"Fear is often a bad thing, yes, Ranma Saotome, but remember this—pointless bravado is a far worse crime. The truly brave are the ones who are afraid beyond their worst nightmares but face it anyway. You would do well to remember that. That being said…now that our souls are intertwined we can--" began Raijou, but was interrupted by Ranma.

"Wait, what? Inter…what did you do?!" he yelled. Raijou winked at him again. Urgh! There was that annoying wink again! It made Ranma want to resort to some sort of violence, not towards anyone in particular, although if Ryouga had been there he would have been the first choice.

"Oh yes, I can now see into every inch of your soul, Ranma Saotome. All your deepest desires, everything, and I can say that despite what you may let others think of you, you are quick-witted and have a heart of gold. And…ah yes, Akane…you really do love her, don't you?" Ranma was turning red. This Raijou guy was really starting to annoy him.

"Hey! What do you think you're--" he started.

"It would be better for you to let your feelings show, Ranma. Your insecurities are the only thing preventing you from achieving everything you desire…ah yes, I'm sorry, I seem to have gotten a little sidetracked," said Raijou, rubbing his current body's chin thoughtfully.

"Sidetracked about what?" growled Ranma, adjusting himself.

"I created this link for the sole purpose of you venturing into my memories with me. Go on, grab onto my arm," he said. Ranma's eyes opened wide.

"Venturing into your…memories? What are you talkin' about?" he said. Raijou rolled his eyes and forcefully grabbed Ranma's arm.

"BRING ME WHAT I MUST RECALL!" yelled Raijou.

"Let go o' me--" stuttered Ranma in response, or he tried to, but was a little too distracted by the fact that his entire body felt like it was on fire. He bit hard on his lip, and it began to bleed. He wasn't about to start screaming. Then he hit something very solid, and the pain was gone, apart from a dull ache in his stomach and the cut on his lip. He pulled himself up from what was apparently a floor and saw a black and white horizon in front of him, shades of grays similar to what he had seen in older movies and television shows.

"Well, here we are," said Raijou's voice, making Ranma jump. He turned around, and sure enough, there was the possessed body of Dr. Tofu, smiling, in full color against the otherwise black and white landscape. "I've taken you to where the whole ordeal began."

"Ranma, welcome to Japan in the year 1247 A.D."

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Still a little rushed and choppy, but I'll edit it later when I'm not sleep-deprived. For now this is what you get. Sorry for multiple reasons:

1.) Taking so long to write a chapter.

2.) For said chapter being so mediocre.

3.) For boring you with my comments in this spot.

Anyway, hope you managed to enjoy it. I know I didn't so far.


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